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Explanation: As debated in discussion entries, the phrase should read tout le mal qu'ils pensent de sa commande. It is the clients and not the shop keeper who are doing the thinking.
Turning the phrase on its head gives the (ironic) sense of disapprobation by the rest of the customers in the queue.
I am sure that Bourth is well capable of leaping to his own defence but 'disdain' was in reply to Jonathon's perfectly valid suggestion. For 'sentir... tout le mal qu'ils pensent', 'feel... their (total) disdain' is not a bad solution. Disdain sounds more like distain in English dough.
Je savais bien que ce 'disdain' m'était adressé...
15:46 Jul 31, 2011
Là devrait aussi s'applliquer ma liberté d'expression! J'ai simplement appeler un chat, un chat. Pour que nous apprenions tous les uns des autres, il est important de dire les choses sans les déguiser. Je pense que c'est une différence culturelle. Cela dit à chacun en tant que professionnel de décider quoi faire, personnellement j'en ferais part au client.
C'est ce que l'on dit de la traduction. Les gens sont libres de s'exprimer comme ils veulent - ou peuvent -, que ce soit dans leur langue maternelle ou pas. Vient alors le problématique de savoir si le traducteur doit améliorer un texte mal rédigé, ou pas.
Un texte dans quelque langue que ce soit, doit se lire facilement comme s'il avait été écrit par une personne de langue maternelle... là ce n'est pas le cas. (Après tout, comme on dit en anglais 'whatever'...)
so one can only assume that it was sent by the client in the first place. Sometimes we have no choice but to make English silk purses out of French sows' ears - or at least make an acceptable effort!
cependant la phrase se lit difficilement car mal énoncée. Maintenant si des personnes arrivent à comprendre tant mieux pour elles. J'espère que ce n'est pas une phrase pour un client...???
I think we are all agreed that the French original is full of typos and not exactly the most lucid or gramatically perfect ever penned, but it does make sense. "Several of the customers give signs of impatience intended to make the person being served by the shopkeeper aware of exactly what they think of his order. Donner à sentir à qqn. doesn't have a particularly comfortable direct equivalent in English but "make aware of" - faire prendre conscience de works in this context.
I had the same initial bother getting this one straight. Maybe this is one that you have to turn around a little so it has the right ring to it.
Quelques clients font des signes d'impatience destinés à donner à sentir à la personne que le commerçant sert tout le mal qu'ils pensent de sa commande.
A couple more typos : « destinés » masculine plural and the accents too.
A few clients show signs of impatience so that person being served is perfectly aware what they think of his order.
yeah - sentence so badly constructed I must have got lost in the middle- that said, since you're so lucid, who is "il" (il pense). Some customers show signs of impatience that convey to the person being served how much they despise his (piddling) order. Surely it should be 'ils pensent' ?
"destinées à donner à sentir tout le mal qu'il pense de sa (de la personne en train d'être servie) commande à la personne que le commerçant sert", if you prefer.
le commerçant sert ?????
For the rest it means that they despise or do not think much of the order and it shows
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Answers
11 mins confidence:
the (perceived) insigificance of his order
Explanation: If I understand it, person A is being served by the shopkeeper (or cashier, etc.) and the process is lengthy, much to the displeasure of person B, waiting in line, who behaves in a "holier than thou" manner with respect to person A by huffing and blowing as if to say "your order is of no significance with respect to mine".
I know the feeling! It does so annoy me when people fart about paying a piddling sum by cheque or credit card when I'm waiting behind them with hundreds of euros in cash in my hot little hands.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 15 mins (2011-07-29 11:05:01 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
Or "all the disrespect he feels for the order".
xxxBourth Local time: 20:56 Native speaker of: English PRO pts in category: 7
Explanation: As debated in discussion entries, the phrase should read tout le mal qu'ils pensent de sa commande. It is the clients and not the shop keeper who are doing the thinking.
Turning the phrase on its head gives the (ironic) sense of disapprobation by the rest of the customers in the queue.
Alan Douglas France Local time: 20:56 Native speaker of: English PRO pts in category: 4
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